(Provided by Tennis World USA)
Everything is ready in Los Angeles for the US Open, scheduled in California from June 15th to 18th. Third men’s Major of 2023, it is the first major appointment, organized by the USGA, which sees the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the Pif (which finances LIV Golf, the separatist circuit of the green) united after a clash, including a judicial one, long 2 years.
Us Open, schedule
And if the peace between the circuits has been established, the tension between the players remains high. Rory McIlroy, former number 1 in the world today third in the world ranking, has not hidden his dislike for LIV Golf and for those colleagues who have left the main tours in the world to move to the Arab Super League.
“I hate LIV and feel like the sacrificial lamb,” the Northern Irishman explained recently. The 123rd edition of the US Open will be staged at the Los Angeles Country Club (North Course, par 70 of 7,421 yards), which was played for the first time in 1895 when the Englishman Horace Rawlins prevailed.
Another Briton will defend the title, Matt Fitzpatrick, who in 2022 overtook the Americans Scottie Scheffler (world number 1 and one of the big favorites this year) and Will Zalaris who, together with Tiger Woods, will be among the absent excellent of the competition because not in the best of physical condition.
The Spanish Jon Rahm, winner in 2021, after making The Masters his own last April will try to become not only the first golfer since 2016-2017 (Justin Thomas) to celebrate his fifth title of the season but also the first player since 2015 (Jordan Spieth, The Masters and the US Open) to win multiple Majors in the same year.
Leader of the FedEx Cup, Rahm will have Scheffler as his main opponent also in the challenge for the world throne. The Norwegian Viktor Hovland (the only big player in the field to always finish among the top 10 in the last three Grand Slam events), McIlroy, who scored in 2011, and the American Brooks Koepka, LIV ace, also aim high Golf, winner of this year’s PGA Championship, runner up at The Masters, and the last to win back-to-back (in 2017 and 2018) the US Open.
While Phil Mickelson, one of the first to leave the PGA Tour, dreams of completing the Grand Slam in a tournament enchanted by him where he finished second six times. Representing Italy instead will be Francesco Molinari who will participate for the 13th time in his career.
The best result of the blue in this appointment is a 13th place in 2021. The Turinese will play the first two rounds with the Californian Bryson DeChambeau, who scored in 2020, and the Englishman Tyrrell Hatton. From Dustin Johnson (for Forbes he is the highest paid golfer in the world, he made the contest his own in 2016) to Cameron Smith, from Patrick Cantlay to Xander Schauffele passing through Max Homa, Thomas and Spieth (winner in 2015): these are the other champions most awaited of a key event which, for the first time after 75 years, is preparing to return to Los Angeles as a protagonist.
And among the 156 competitors in the race there will also be Berry Henson, a 43-year-old golfer who grew up near Palm Springs but also an Uber driver.
